Coupon feeder



sep|.12,1944. w. H. NOBLES '2,358,131

v COUPON FEEDER Filed Aug. 1, 1942 5 sheets-sheety 1 ATTY.

W. H. NOBLES COUPON FEEDER Sept, 12, 1944.

l Filed Aug. l. `1942 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 wvszvron.' WARREN H. NOBLES sept. 12, 1944. w. H Nom-:s 2,358,13l I COUPON FEEDER Filed Aug. l, 1942 '5 She-etS-Sheet 4 r I l l: 62 Las Fas. A? y ff To n [I I lllln [lll/[ WARREN H. NOBLES Sept. 12, 1944. y w. H. NCBI-ES 2,358,131

COUPON FEEDER Filed Aug. l, 1942 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Sept. 12, 19434 n e 'I 1 l, 2,353,131fv UNITED STAT-ES PATENTo-rFICE; f

v Warren H. Nobles, St. Paul, Minn., assignorto' General Mills, Inc., a corporation of Delaware Application August 1, 1942K, Serial No.-453,14 7

l F Claims. (01.2"11-41) 'Ihis invention 'relates to devices for 'feeding coupons and other paper folders to bags, cartons and similar containers.`

An object of the invention is to provide a simple and e'icient form of coupon feeders.

This and other objects las will hereinafter appear are accomplished Vby this invention which is fully described in the following specification and shown in the Vaccompanying drawings in which AFigure 1 is a partial perspective of the machine showing the coupon feeder used with a belt conveyor; y

Fig. 1a is a perspective of a folded coupon; Fig. Z is aperspective of the front or delivery side of the feeder; I

Fig. 3 is va Vperspective of the rear and'driv'e end o'f the feeder;

- Fig, 4 is a partial section showing the drive gea-r and ratchet mechanism. Y A A Fig. 5 is a partial perspective showingan end `removed to illustratethe coupon gripping mech-v anism; l Y

Fig. 6 yis a perspective showing the arcuatecoupon supportingsurtace and the picker fingers;

Fig. 7 is a partial section on the line 'l of Fig. 5; Y

Figs. 8, 9 and 10 are partial vertical sections on the line of Fig. 1'1; and Fig. 11 is a horizontal section on the line V|| of Fig. 10. I

The embodiment illustrated comprises fa coupon feeder shown generally as mounted on a bracket y2| having a sleeve `22 and screw A`23 "by means of which itis adjustably secured on a standard 24 which is'supportedin any desired raised plate 58 which serves to support the stack of coupons as shown in Figa-8 to 10,7as will manner near the side Yof a belt -corveyor/ZB Jor the like for intermittently-conveying filled Ybags A into each ofl which it'is desired toit-eed a coupon. Y

A form of coupon B to` be. fed is 'show-n `in Fig. 1a and Figs. 9, 510 andv Y11 and will be described in detail. e The Yfeeding mechanism is carried mainlyby a main frame casting 38 secured by screws (not shown) tothe bracket 2| End frame members 3|, 32v areY secured to the-bottom ends of the main 'frame by mea-ns of screws 33, V34 --ancll are secured togetherY at the topf-by means Aof'thr'oug'h bolts 35, 36 on whichfare placed spacer "tubes 31, 38; 7`

The mainframecasting '38 has central' ribs 4|, 42 which have `oppositely extending integral lugs 4s, 44 wigs, 5 and 11)y 'te which-are se` cured end plates 41,"48, respectivelyfbymeans ofcapscrews 49. 'W `f" Y A transversely `arcuate plate`i55, preferably bent about the `axis' ofa shaft 83, is-secured to the top of the end plates 41;' llbyV means of screws'SS, Y51"'(Fig.r 6). Thisl carries acentral ,later Y later be described Tin detail. Referring particularly to'Fig. 2, four arcuate guide .tangles 6|, 62, `v63 and B4 set atthe four corners of a Vrectangle `serve to guide the stack of coupons C as shownin Fig. l0. These angles.

r 2 and l0. to serve as a-su'pporting ledge for the rear edge of 'the stack of coupons C. This ledge is lout away at three spaced pointsl to formV ears '1B which are bent Idown and around so as to be parallel with the plate 18 as shown inV Fig. 5. The purpose of these' cutaway portionsis to provide spaces for spring grppers whichv will later be described. l

A main shaft is journalled in suitable bearings 8| and 82 in the end plates'41 and 48 and has disks 485, 86 pinned thereto'. These disks as shown in Fig. 6 carry alignedfinwardly extending picker fingers '90, 9| which are inset therein and secured by'screws. "Ihese picker fingers pass over the topf of the` arcuate plate 55 but are spacedsomewhat therefrom so that as they `rotate in a clockwise direction asV shownl in Fig. 6 they will pick up the lowermost coupon from Vthe stack and carry'it'forward as Will later be described. A y

Extensions of the ribs 4|'and 42l carryra pin 95 on which is pivotally mounted a rocking framefl. As shown Figs. 8 to 10 it carries an operating lever 91 on the lower en d of which is pivotally mounted a roller 98 which rolls on a cam |80 which is keyed on lthe-main yshaft 8|).v This cam is principally concentric withthe shaft 80 and has a depression lili which permits the frame 96 to rock into the position shown in Fig. 8. A spring |02 holds the roller S8 in Contact with the cam |08. 'A

A block is pivotally 'mounted in the upper portion of the rocking frame 98 and has an arm- |86 on the outer end of which is pivotally mounted a roller |91 whichrollsupon acam |08 which is secured to themain shaft 80;. 'A spring .|09 urges the rollergconstantly into engagement with Yrrnefelecii 10 ifhas three spring uppers 12v secured theretogby means .cffscrews ||3.`,Thes'ev spring Lgrippe'rs,l when iri'theposition shownin Fig. 8, 'are 'located in'' the Hspacesr 'i5 as shown in Fig. Y2.

It will be QbS-ervedjn Figs. .ia and "8 a. @depen isAv is folded so as to 'form an upperoverhanging edge B1 and a lower overlappedfedge B2 and that 'the coupons are placed in thestack with the edges so placed with the fold B3 at the forward edge.

At the same time the rear edge 58 of the raised central plate 58 lies some distance in advance of the kforward edge of the ledge .13 and the spring grippers I |2. Both the latter extend in far enough `to engage Ythe overlapping edge B1 overlapped edge B2.

edge B2 of the coupon which overhangs the rear The bag-operative means for releasing the trigger |40 will now be described. It is shown in Fig. 1 and comprises a lever |55 secured to the lower end of a sleeve |56 which is rotatably mounted on the rod |51 which is secured to the end frame member 32. The upper end of the i sleeve |56 carries a lever |58 on which is mountof the coupon but not far enough to engage the As a result, the unsupported from Fig. 8, it advances the spring grippers from l' the position shown in Fig. 8 to that of Fig. 9 Where it now overlaps the rear edge B2 of the coupon. As the shaft continues to advance as shown in Fig. 10, the rollerY |01 rolling on the cam |08 causes the block |05 torock about its own axis in a clockwisedi'rection so that the spring grippers ||2 lgrip the rear edge of thel coupon, pressing it against the top of the arcuate p1ate55. 1

These. spring grippers -continue to so hold the rear edge of the coupon'down so as to insure the picker ngers 90rand v9| passing over the overlapped'ejdge B2 and under the overlapping edge B1.

The means at the forward edge of the coupon Vpermitting the lowermost coupon to be removed while holding the coupons aboveit will now be considered. This consists of spring plates I|6 secured to the lower ends of the guide angles'63 and 64 as shown in Fig. 2. This permits all but the lowermost one of the coupons to be retained by .these spring plates while the-lowermost coupon is bent down over the ends of the central raised plate 58 and permitted to pass under the spring plates ||6. As they advance they are stripped from the picker fingers as will later be described. Y A

The means for driving the shaft 80 will now be described. A disk (Figs. 4 andll) is keyed or pinned to the shaft 80 and has a pin |2| on which is pivotally mounted a pawl |22 which is normally pressed inwardly by means of Va spring |23. A member consisting of a gear |30, a sprocket |3| and a ratchet |32 is mounted to rotate freely on the shaft 80 with the ratchet |732 adjacent the diskl20 so that it becomes engaged by the pawl |22.

The sprocket |3| is driven by Vmeansof a chain |33 (Fig. 1) from the sprocket |34- which is driven by a suitable electric motor |35, preferably ed an arcuate rod |59 passing through a hole in an arm |60 which is also pivotally mounted on the rod |51. A spring |6| is mounted on the outer end of the arcuate rod |59. A rod |62 is pivotally connected to the outer end of the arm |60 and is adjustably connected to the lower end of the crank |48.V

Thus it will be seen that as a bag of our A proceeds from right to left on the conveyor 25, it will engage the lever |55, causing therod |62 to move the crank |48 in a clockwise direction thereby first lifting the shoulder |45 so as to rock the detent in acounter clockwise direction so as to release it. from the shoulder |222. When this happens, the pawl |22 is forcedinto engagement with the ratchet |32-by means of the spring |23 and the disk |20 is then caused to make one complete revolution during which the picker iin-f gers 90 operate, as has been previouslydescribed,

carried by the bracket 2|. VVThe motor continuouslyV drives the sprocket |3|-ratchet |32 in gear |30 and the shaftV 80 is driven intermittently only when the pawl|22 is in engagement with the ratchet |32. Y s

The pawl |22 has an outwardly extending shoulder |22.1 whichis adapted to engage and tobe held by a detent |40 (Fig. 3) which is pivotally mounted on a pin |4| on the casting 32a secured to the end frame member 32 and which is normally held against a Vstrop .1| 42 byV- means of a spring |43. This detent ,has a shoulder |45 against `which bears a'trigger |46 which is pivotally mounted on a pin |41 4on a crank |48,.the latter being pivotally mounted at |49. 4 `A leaf spring |50serves the double purpose of urging the trigger |46in a counter clockwise directionV about the pin .|41 and *of Yurging the crank |48 in a counter clockwise direction about its pin |49. The trigger |46 has a stop, |5| on the back ofthe crank |48 andtwo stops |52 and |53 serve to limit the movements` both forward and back of the crank |48. c y

to withdraw the lowermost coupon from the stack to carry it forward to a point where it will be stripped from the picker fingers by means of rolls which will now be described. Y

The gear |30 meshes with the pinion |10 keyed to the Shaft 1| which is journalled in suitable bearings in the end frame members 3| and 32, as shown in Fig. 11. This shaft carries a roller |12 which is preferably rubber-faced and which normally contacts another rubber-faced'roller |13. This latter is an idler and is mounted on a shaft |14 which is suitably journalled in bearings in the members 41 and 48. The normal inoperative position of the picker fingers 90 is that shown in Fig. 8 so that the coupon which has just been removed from the bottom of the stack is carried between the stripping rolls 12 and |13 which are constantly rotating and at a higher speed than that of the picker fingers. After passing the stripping rolls, the coupon is guided toward the bag by means of a chute |15 which is secured to the member 30 by a bracket |16. Y

LAS soon as the shaft makes a single revolution, the shoulder |22*L of the pawl engages the detent |40, thereby disengaging the pawl from the ratchet |32 and bringing the shaft 80 and its associated parts to rest until the detent |40 is again released by the next bag.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided a very simple and eiiicient means of feeding a single coupon to each bag as it passes along the conveyor. f Y

While I have shown and described but a single embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that it is capableV of manymodications. Changes, therefore, may bemade which do not depart from thespirit and Vscope of my invention as disclosed in theappended claims. I Y

Iclaim as my invention: f Y' 1. A feeder for folded coupons where each cou pon has an overlapping edgeY and an overlapped edge, Ysaid feeeder comprising an Vupwardly-'extending chute, a fixed transversely arcuate surface at the bottom of the chute for supporting a stack of coupons in the chute, means at the rear of the chute for supporting the overlapping edge while the overlapped edgeof the lowermost coupon is free to droptoward the arcuate surface', and picker lingers adapted to pass between the supported overlapping edge and the overlapped edge and to pass beyond the stack to draw the lowermost coupon from the stack.

2. A feeder for folded coupons where each coupon has an overlapping edge and an overlapped edge, said feeder comprising an upwardly-extending chute, a fixed transversely arcuate surface at the bottom of the chute adapted to support a stack of coupons in the chute, means at'the rear of the chute for supporting the overlapping edge while the overlapped edge of the lowermost coupon is free to drop toward the Aarcuate surface, and picker fingers adapted to pass between the supported overlapping edge and the overlapped edge and to pass beyond the stack to draw the lowermost coupon from the stack, the arcuate surface having a raised middle portion shorter than the coupon so that the lowermost coupon overlaps the ends of the raised portion andr is not supported at its outer ends.

3. A feeder for folded coupons where each coupon has an overlapping edge and an overlapped edge, said feeder comprising an upwardly-extending chute, a fixed transversely arcuate surface at the bottom of the chute adapted to support a stack'of coupons in the chute, means at the rear of the chute for supporting the overlapping edgewhile the overlapped edge of the lowermost coupon is free to drop toward the arcuate surface, and picker fingers adapted to pass over the outer ends of the arcuate surface and concentrically therewith and between the supported overlapping edge and the overlapped edge and to pass beyond the stack to draw the lowermost coupon from the stack,

4. A feeder for folded coupons where each coupon has an overlapping edge and an overlapped edge, said feeder comprising an upwardly-extending chute, a fixed transversely arcuate surface at the bottom of the chute for supporting a stack of coupons inthe chute, means at the rear of the chute for supporting the overlapping edge while the overlapped edge of the lowermost coupon is free to drop toward the arcuate surface, a

shaft beneath the chute having an axis concentric with the arcuate surface, and picker fingers operably carried by said shaft adapted to pass between the supported overlapping edge and the overlapped edge andto pass beyond the stack to draw the lowermost coupon from the stack.

5. A feeder for folded coupons where each coupon has an overlapping edge and an overlapped edge, said feeder comprising an upwardly-extending chute, a xed transversely arcuate surface at the bottom of the chute kfor supporting a stack; of coupons in the chute, means at the rear of the chute for supporting the overlapping edge while the overlapped edge of the lowermost' coupon is free to drop toward the arcuate surface, picker fin-gers adapted to pass between the supported overlapping edge and the overlapped edge and to pass beyond the stack to draw the lowermost coupon from the stack, and means for` stripping the coupon from the picker.

6. A feeder for folded coupons where each coupon has an overlapping edge and an overlapped edge, said feeder comprising an upwardly-extending chute, a xed transversely arcuate surface at the bottom of the chute for supporting a stack of coupons in the chute, means at the rear of the chute for supporting the overlapping edge while the overlapped edge of the lowermost coupon is free to drop toward the arcuate surface, picker fingers adapted to pass between the supported overlapping edge and the overlapped edge and to pass beyond the stack to draw the lowermost coupon from the stack, and means including rubber-covered rollers for stripping the coupon from the picker fingers. Y

'7. A feeder for folded coupons where each coupon has an overlapping edge and an overlapped edge, said feeder comprising -an upwardly-ex tending chute, a fixed transversely arcuate surface at the bottom of the chute for supporting a stack of coupons in the chute, means at the rear of the chute for supporting the overlapping edge While the overlapped edge of the lowermost coupon is free to drop toward the arcuate surface, picker fingers adapted to pass between the supported overlapping edge and the overlapped edge and to pass beyond the stack to draw the lowermost coupon` from the stack, .and spring means `at the front normally retaining the lowermost coupon but yieldable to permit the picker fingers to pass thereunder to pass a coupon from the bottom of the stack.

8. A feeder for folded coupons where each cou- 4 pon has an overlapping 'edge and an overlapped edge, said feeder comprising an upwardly-extending chute, a fixed transversely arcuate surface at the bottom of the chute for supporting a stack of coupons in the chute, means at the rear of 'the chute for supporting the overlapping edge while the overlapped edge of the lowermost coupon is free to drop toward the arcuate surface, a shaft beneath the chute having an axis concentric with the arcuate surface, and picker fingers operably carried by said shaft adapted to pass between th supported overlapping edge and the overlapped edge and to pass beyond the stack to draw the lowermost coupon from the stack, said shaft making a full rotation at eachactuation.

9. A feeder for folded coupons where each coupon has an overlapping edge and an overlapped edge, said feeder comprising an upwardly-extending chute, a fixed transversely arcuate surface at the bottom of the chute for supporting ra stack of coupons in the chute, means at the rear of the chute for supporting the overlapping edge while the overlapped edge of the lowermost coupon is free toA drop toward the arcuate surface, picker fingers adapted to pass between the supported overlapping edge and the overlapped edge and to pass beyond the stack to draw the lowermost coupon from the stack, and means for positively lowering and gripping the rear edge of the overlapped portion to insure the entry of the picker Y fingers from each side .between the upper and lower folds of the coupon.

10. A feeder for folded coupons where each has an overlapping edge and an overlapped edge,

the overlapped edge and to pass beyond the stack to draw the lowermost coupon from the stack, and means for positively lowering and gripping the rear edge of the overlapped portion of the coupon to said xed means to insure the entry of the picker fingers from each side between the upper and lower folds of the coupon. Y

WARREN H. NoBLEs. 

